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EXCLUSIVE: Former UFC fighter Dan Henderson officially endorsed Sheriff Chad Bianco for California governor in 2026, he told Fox News Digital.

Bianco, the current police sheriff of Riverside County, is running as a Republican and led the field in an October poll by the University of California, Berkeley over Republican challenger Steve Hilton and Democratic frontrunner Katie Porter.

Henderson said Bianco earned his support in 2020, when the sheriff famously refused to enforce the state’s COVID-19 stay-at-home orders and mask mandates.

“It was kind of a blessing that he didn’t shut everything down as long as we were being responsible with everything. I kind of admired how he handled that whole situation,” Henderson said.

“A lot of business ow

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